Vilda Ana Veria Setyawati, S.Gz., M.Gizi., - A Nutritionist from the Public Health Department at Udinus
To commemorate the National Nutrition Day on January 25, Vilda Ana Veria Setyawati, S.Gz., M.Gizi., a nutritionist at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), highlighted the importance of nutrition supply to support children’s development, particularly toddlers.
“Proper nutrition is adjusted per the needs of each individual, including children. These nutritional needs depend on age, activities, and health condition,” Vida revealed.
Vida, who is also a faculty member in the Public Health Department at Udinus, also explained that the concept of empat sehat lima sempurna, which was a concept coined by the Indonesian government to promote healthy dietary habits back in the day, was no longer relevant. Since 2014, this campaign has been replaced with a more relevant and balanced nutrition campaign.
“In order to achieve balanced nutrients, one must also uphold the food quality in addition to quantity. There must be detailed guidelines for the public to know, and one of these guidelines was B2SA, which is an abbreviation of Beragam (Diverse), Bergizi (Nutritious), Seimbang (Balanced), and Aman (Safe),” she uttered.
She added that nutrition fulfillment in children must also be supervised. This is because children, particularly toddlers, are vulnerable to malnutrition.
“During this stage of life, children can develop physical and cognitive abilities rapidly. If they were to experience malnutrition, the impact would become more apparent in their later stages of life. They can potentially experience disorders in their body and brain development,” she explained.
Raising Awareness
Vilda stated that many malnutrition cases became apparent during the teenage stage. There has been a misconception that children will grow up on their own among the public. However, the lack of nutrients during the early stages of life will not be able to be fully cured. Children’s physical and cognitive development can also be permanently hampered.
As a way to anticipate, Vilda suggested focusing not only on the quantity of food but also on its quality. Furthermore, she also stated that food was not merely an instrument to satisfy hunger, but also to provide nutrients, such as carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Thus, eating noodles with rice is not ideal, as it only provides carbohydrates.
“If children were to consume only instant noodles, there would be long-term impacts lying in later stages of life. Their first one thousand days in the world serve as a window of opportunity for parents to give them proper nutrition,” Vilda explained.
Through this National Nutrition Day, Vilda encouraged the public to be more aware of nutritional intake in their families, particularly in children. She also emphasized the importance of balanced dietary habits, which comprised carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals in every serving.
“Eating is not all about satisfying hunger, but it also concerns the importance of the food quality. One must ensure that the food consists of diverse and balanced nutrients, as well as safe ingredients. Thus, children will grow optimally,” she concluded.
The Nation Nutrition Day serves as a reminder for us about the importance of nutrients in maintaining our health, particularly among the younger generation. With healthier dietary habits, the younger generation of Indonesia is expected to grow up to be healthy and bright. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Dok. Pribadi)
